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Word of the Day + Quiz | riddle

riddle • \ˈri-dəl\ • verb and noun

verb: pierce with many holesverb: spread or diffuse throughverb: separate with a riddle, as grain from chaffverb: set a difficult problem or riddleverb: explain a riddleverb: speak in riddlesnoun: a coarse sieve (as for gravel)noun: a difficult problem

The word riddle has appeared in 155 New York Times articles in the past year, including on June 23 in “The Obtuse Triangle” by Nicholas Dawidoff:

It hasn’t helped matters that those who are devoted to the triangle offense refer to it simply as Triangle, elevating the operative word from mere adjective to lofty stand-alone noun. When Jeff Van Gundy, as the Knicks’ coach, mockingly called Jackson Big Chief Triangle, a lot of hoops-loving people felt validated.

In Triangle, the problem is bigger than Triangle. The system symbolizes the larger quandary of how inscrutable basketball’s formal strategies are for those who watch. Night after night across the big-time basketball landscape, offenses are run before vast audiences but are veiled to most fans.

In this way, I found the idea of Triangle particularly intriguing. An offensive system that had won all those championships in full public view yet remained off-limits to others — that seemed provocative, a sports riddle.